Currently…

It’s been over two months since my last Currently post and it’s high time we catch up! I post photos and clips of the kids on Instagram every now and again, because it’s quick and easy, but haven’t really shared a lot on the blog since Gwen was just a month old.

What a difference two months makes!

Remember how nervous I was to have a girl? It’s the best thing ever. I would have been thrilled to have a third boy but Gwen has rounded out our family so nicely and I daydream about all the fun stuff we’ll be able to do together in the future. And, although she wears cotton onesies every day, I can’t say the boys and I don’t ooo and aah over dressing her up occasionally.

Like at her baptism a couple weeks ago. I meannnnn… Lincoln said, “She looks like a princess!!!”

Speaking of special occasions, this hunk of love turned two in October! Cam the man is full of energy, spunk, sass, and is the most affectionate, loving little boy I know. Although this age can be tiring, I just really love to watch him. Like, study him while he plays. He is incredibly funny and even moreso, a ton of fun.

See what I mean? Life of the party…and usually covered in some sort of dirty substance.

Lincoln has turned into a little Daddy – I occasionally let him “babysit” Gwen and Cam while I make dinner (obvi have my eye on everyone, but he loves the chance to really interact with G and make up games for him and Cam.) He went as the Green Ninja from Lego Ninjago for Halloween this year and reaped the rewards. I know parents have different philosophies on when and how much Halloween candy they give their kids – he was able to pick out two pieces then we put the rest away.

He’s allowed a small dessert each night if he eats his whole dinner, so candy/treats aren’t necessarily taboo in our house. Ben started this with him around the age of 4, and to be honest I was completely against it at first – I believed sweet treats should be a special occasion thing only – but the fact that he picked out 2 pieces of candy and put the rest away with zero complaints says a lot. Could just be his age (harder to convince a 10 year old to put away their Halloween candy vs a 5 year old, for example) could also just be his temperament, which is very mild. Either way, totally off track, but we had a good Halloween! (Cam threw a fit when it was time to put on his Minion costume, which he picked out, so he stayed home with me and sis. Poor Cam!)

Life with three kids is sweet, sweet, sweet, as described above, but also very tiring. That said, I went to drinks and sushi with a friend the other night (yes! we did it! and it didn’t take 4 weeks to plan!) and we discussed not just the craziness of our day-to-day lives, but also the crushing mental load many women in our shoes experience:

Return the library books, make a Costco run, call the doctor, pick up class snacks, order Halloween costumes, meal plan for the week, follow up on a return, buy diapers, switch the laundry over, etc. More importantly, be a wife, mom, business owner, and try to make some time for yourself, too! I don’t say this to complain, and typing this out is intimidating because I’m sure someone will ask if I want cheese with my “whine” (which, of course I do!) Mostly I’m just trying to keep it real. We also discussed how phony social media feels right now – so many staged photoshoots being presented as candid, real life moments – I don’t know, it’s just…a lot. Either way, this is me reminding you that we are ALL hot messes trying to keep it together the best we can.

Anyway, we are so excited to head into the holiday season! Halloween went by in a flash and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. It’s so strange that it’s November already. The weather has been so nice and we had such a big summer that my brain is stuck thinking it’s August or something. The end of daylight savings time this weekend should snap me out of that pretty quickly! (SOB.)

Without further ado (and that was a lot of ado!) here’s the latest edition of “Currently“!

Sipping:Joel Gott wines. I love talking about wine (literally started a wine club with two friends via text while typing this post. We’re meeting once a month on Tuesdays at 7:30. HA!) Anyway, for the past few years I’ve been all about New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, but lately I’ve been into California ones including Joel Gott’s 2016 version. It is SO refreshing, easy to drink, and under $15 a bottle. Bonus that my neighborhood corner store sells it – whee!

Cooking: Crock Pot Korean BBQ Beef. I’ve never met a Pinch of Yum recipe I didn’t like but this Korean BBQ Beef recipe is off the charts, both in taste and simplicity. I made it twice in October! Pro tip: reserve some of the marinade to use as a drizzle on the final product.

Reading:Girl, Wash Your Face. I was feeling like the last woman on the planet to read Girl, Wash Your Face, so I ordered it and actually, it should be in the mailbox at this very moment. Can’t wait to dig in. If you’ve read it, what was your favorite chapter?

Stressing over: food allergies. You may know that Lincoln is allergic to dairy – well, we just learned that Gwen is allergic to eggs and is borderline allergic to peanuts. PEANUTS. So scary. We discovered this after she slowly started developing rough patches on her skin last month (eczema) then broke into a full body rash twice in two weeks. That said, it looks like I’ll not only be gluten-free, but peanut and egg-free for the next 9 months while I continue nursing her for a full year. Should be interesting – mostly I just feel really sad for G. :(

Loving: my skin. It’s ironic that we’ve been battling with G’s skin lately (hopefully not anymore now that I’m removing peanuts and eggs from my diet,) because I’ve never felt better about the state of mine. Zero breakouts, and it’s soft and smooth. Plus I feel really good about the products I’m using. I’m still on the coconut oil as face wash kick then use a combination of these products afterwards (none are affiliate links – I get paid nothing to tell you about these):

Crunching: Full Circle Market Sweet Potato Chips. Do yourself a favor and pick up a bag or 100 of these INSANE sweet potato chips (just leave me a few, ok!) by Full Circle Market. I randomly picked up a bag at HyVee a few months ago and now can’t leave the grocery store without three in my cart. They are SO good. Too good.

Receiving:ButcherBox. I decided to see what all the fuss was about with ButcherBox and started a monthly subscription in September. Both Ben and I have been super pleased with the meat so far, and he’s a meat snob. ButcherBox delivers 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage-breed pork directly to your door. It’s been nice to have a freezer full of meat – it’s actually put a pep in my step in terms of meal planning because I’m inspired to create meals based on what comes in the box (which you can customize.) Right now if you sign up you get free bacon in your box for life.

Watching:The Kids are All Right. There seemed to be so many new shows on this fall that turned out to be stinkers (I had high hopes for Single Parents because Leighton Meester (!) but lasted 5 minutes into the first episode before turning it off.) The Kids are All Right has totally delivered though. It’s on ABC and is kind of a mix of The Wonder Years and, hmm, Malcom in the Middle maybe? I hated that show but it’s giving me the same vibes. Wow I’m really selling this aren’t I. Anyway – it’s a really fun little 30 minute show. Check it out!

Looking: Tablet recommendation. We’re thinking about getting Lincoln a tablet for Christmas to use during his quiet time each afternoon. It doesn’t have to be an iPad, should have parental controls, and the ability to download educational apps and games. Should we just get an iPad? What are your kids using and loving?

Ordering: Drapey Crepe Faux Wrap Top. I have officially accumulated an embarrassing amount of athliesure wear – fine, SWEATSHIRTS – that say stuff on the front (aka “KALE” instead of “YALE”, “Go Ask Dad” and so on and so forth. I know.) That said, I need to go shopping so badly so I recently ordered this cute top which I think will be great for the holidays too. 40% off right now!

70 Comments [+]

I recommend a kindle fire. I bought one for my husband who breaks everything. The price point makes you feel better when he accidentally washes it in the washing machine and you have to replace it. I’m an apple snob but I have to say it’s user friendly and doesn’t the job. Not sure about parental controls but you can download apps. Bonus is that amazon usually does a great deal on these for cyber Monday.

I was going to suggest the kindle fire as well. And if you get the kid version, they’ll replace it for any reason within 2 years. You can put games on it and it comes with some already (Amazon Free Time) and does have parental controls. But in the spirit of keeping it real, my preschooler uses it for Netflix and that’s it. #winning

Just get an iPad. We had the Kindle Fires for a couple years and they aren’t intuitive. Hard to switch between apps, no YouTube (a plus and minus), it won’t have the same apps their friends eventually have.

Love the keeping it real aspects of this post! We just added #3 two months ago, 2 boys and our girl as well. While it is something that I love and have wanted, it is SO HARD! My oldest started kindergarten this year and I feel stretched paper thin. Currently working on adding more JOY into my daily routine. Keep doing what you are doing, we are all doing an awesome job!

Solidarity, sister! We can do this! I think things feel especially hard at the moment because infants are so dependent on us. I found with my boys that once they were able to sit up everything felt so much easier.

Hi! My middle daughter had an egg allergy as an infant—which was an early indicator of the peanut allergy she currently has. The bright side of the egg allergy? I learned how to bake cookies, cakes, pancakes, muffins without eggs—some of the recipes are so good I still make them! The bright side of the peanut allergy? I know my stash of peanut butter cups in the freezer are safe (minus the husband) Good luck!

Sorry to hear about Gwen’s allergies!! My son has a peanut and tree nut allergy so we’re a nut-free home, but Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) is a pretty yummy substitute! Trader Joe’s also sells their own cheaper version.

I agree with the iPad Mini if you’re already an Apple user (Otherwise, I’m sure whatever the Samsung version is is also good.). We got our daughter a Kindle Fire last Christmas, and I find it an endless source of frustration. Slow, cumbersome parental controls… I find myself wanting to throw the thing across the room regularly. 😛

I highly recommend the Kindle Fire as well! You can create separate log ins for each family member and with Amazon Free time you can set learning goals, hourly limits and limit content. My 3 year old loves his and he can find his own books and games without Mommy and Daddy’s help which is super nice.

We started with a Kid’s Kindle Fire and it’s fine. Honestly, it’s just that. They loved it for a year and then we got an iPad. That Kindle hasn’t been looked at since. So, I guess decide if you’d rather spend a smallish amount of money now to delay buying an iPad or just get an iPad and know that you’ll all enjoy it (Hello, watching Hulu / Netflix next to the tub. I think I love you).

Sorry to hear about your daughter’s allergies! My oldest (age 6) has an egg allergy. We have loved using the Neat Egg (sold at Target and I’m sure other places as well) egg replacement for cookies, pancakes, waffles, etc. You could just use a flax egg, but the Neat Egg gels instantly and is really handy to have! Also, Minimalist Baker has some killer recipes for working around egg and dairy allergies. We make these cut-out sugar cookies every Christmas and Halloween (they can be dairy-free too for Lincoln!): https://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-vegan-sugar-cookies/

We made the mistake and got a kindle fire for our son. Our daughter already had an ipad mini. We ended up buy him a ipad mini the next year. I dont feel that the kindle fires are as user/kid friendly as the ipad minis.

Also, we use Leap Pad Ultimates for our daughters. We don’t hook them up to the Internet or anything, and our kids love them (ages 4 and 6). They come with some games already installed (mostly educational, some just fun) and you can buy other game cartridges as well. It’s nice that we don’t have to worry what kind of content they’re seeing, etc, and they also don’t get exposed to radiation from devices that use Wi-Fi.

I, also, agree with the ipad! We got our son an ipad when he was around Lincoln’s age and have never looked back. You can put parental controls on, monitor what they are doing, and it will all be iTunes which makes it SO easy!

Re: tablet, get him a kindle. I got one for my son last year right before he turned 4. Amazon usually does a crazy good deal around Black Friday. Really good parental controls, and didn’t cost too much.

I struggle with allergies to peanuts, almonds, and eggs…it’s rough to say the least. I find that sometimes there is just no substitute for an egg! And not having this allergy all my life, there are days when all I want is a greasy omelet with ALL the things! BUT I really like Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement product. I read one reader above likes the NEAT egg product. I have not tried that one, but have great luck in baked goods with the Bobs Red Mill brand.

I was just going to comment to recommend the Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer!! I think it’s way better than the Neat Egg. It was the only one I found that didn’t seem to change the taste of sweet baked goods at all. And, so sorry about Gwen’s allergies! My oldest is allergic to dairy and a couple of tree nuts (luckily not peanuts, just cashews and pistachios) and she had an egg allergy when she was a toddler that she has now grown out of (hence why I have worked with the egg replacers). FWIW, she had a couple of “borderline” allergies when she was first tested (hazelnuts, sesame) that were negative when she was tested again 6 months later. Here’s hoping that’s what happens with Gwen’s peanut allergy too!!

You brighten my day! Gwen is too cute for words. You will have so much fun with her. And not one, but two big brothers to watch over her…she is blessed. We just got the Leap Frog Epic for our gr-grandson Brenton (3). We got it from a friend so it had a lot of interactive games already on it. He loves it! Check it out for Lincoln Cameron might like it also. Thank you for sharing all you do. I have some pretty satisfied people at our house from your recipes. Enjoy your little girl!

I typically find that when I read personal development books, I can get bored and let my mind wander, thus not really absorbing anything I’ve read. They’re just not as compelling as a suspenseful thriller, you know? So I borrowed the audio book of “Girl Wash Your Face” to listen to in the car. It’s read by Rachel herself and it was FANTASTIC!!! Chapter 12 really resonated with me and now I am obsessed with all things Rachel Hollis. I’m listening to her podcast as I type this actually. Enjoy that book, it’s very good.

I have a Kindle Fire as my classroom tablet (I teach PreK) and the Amazon Free Time program is great. There’s an annual fee, but you can then download unlimited games and books, and it’s mostly educational stuff. And, you can set lots of parental controls on it. Great deal for the price!

We are an Apple family but bought our son a Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet (cheaper, seemed kid-friendly). Big mistake. The “expandable memory” is not very expandable apps and it was annoying getting yet another account so he could download games. We should have bought an iPad. He got an older iPhone model with his own money and rarely uses the tablet now. If you are already an Apple house, stick with it for kids’ electronics.

My 4.5 year old LOVES his Kindle Fire. We got the version with the kid case, and it’s pretty indestructible. The parent controls are great. We have a set time limit and when it’s over, kiddo has learned to just hand us the Kindle (and we put it out of little brother’s reach😂).

I love you for calling out the “real life” photos all over social media right now. It’s refreshing to see and hear real real life pics and stories. It sounds like you’re doing an awesome job w your family of 5. I love the Beautycounter skin products, too. Thanks for keeping it real!

I’m not super big into social media (Ive never even had Facebook 🙈 lol) but I do follow a few favorite bloggers on Instagram and got to feeling like you described after a while. I decided to view Instagram as a magazine, which has changed my perspective…advertising is essentially social media now. So now I just think of Instagram as a beautiful glossy magazine to flip through for a little home decor or outfit inspiration. :) happy fall!

Like Jen B. shared, it’s an incredible book. I’ve read the book twice and loved also listening to the audio book. Do that too – you’ll totally get how passionate she is and how much she wants us to see and live to our potential. One my favourite podcast episodes was her recent appearance with Ed Mylett – so good! Enjoy!

I found 2 kids fairly easy, and 3 kids hard and overwhelming at times. I have 2 school age kids and keeping track of sports, choir, holiday parties, etc plus juggling a toddler getting into everything is so exhausting. I wish at times we had our 3rd closer in age. My favorite times a mom was when I had 2 kids under 5.

I will be curious to hear what you think about the book! I also felt like the last person alive to read it but honestly haven’t loved it as much as I feel like I should with all the hype.(And yes, I realize I am alone in this camp! lol) Totally agree about the mental load too – women carry iyt so differently than men. There was a great episode of the Happy Hour podcast that covered that topic – can’t remember the guest but she was speaking all the truth! Enjoy your wine club & sweet kiddos :)

Great post! Thank you for being so real about mom life! I am a hot mess mama as well. Regarding the tablet, I prefer the leap pad or IPad to the kindle fire. The leap pad is a worry free educational option for my sneaky but sweet four year old. I love the guided access option on the iPad with my 7 year old; he has to get my permission to exit an app or movie; which I really like, especially if he has homework. Our school often assigns homework through a guided reading and math app.

Kindle fire for sure! If you get the kids edition it comes with a cover, 2 years of “Freetime” (what you use to download all the free apps, games, tv shows, etc.) and a 2 year warranty. We stepped on one of ours and they fixed it for free! It also lets you set a time limit for how much time they can spend on books, games and videos separately, which is so nice. And you cannot access any of the actual internet, which you can on the ipad for those smarty pant kids who figure it out.

We use Kindle Fire + Amazon Free Time. The fire is inexpensive so no worries over breaking and Free time loads age appropriate content and limits screentime. My 4 and 2yo boys like and flights and dr appts a breeze. I’m sue iPad has pros but for $50 why not?

At last, little mama, photos! I’m not sure what gene runs rampant in your family, but all your babies look so alike when they are, well, babies. I think Cam looks most like you. By the way, his kookiness is greatly rewarding for middle children everywhere. Lincoln, as always, will be a hero.

I haven’t seen Gwen in months and months (ok, just a couple) – she’s a beauty. Raising a daughter is a very unique experience. You’ll find that out. ❤️

Thanks for sharing your lovely family with us. These are truly the best years of your life. Enjoy the joy. Oh yeah, I agree about New Zealand SB wines. Will definitely try the Gott.

Loved this post about real life as a mom of three! My kids are similarly aged as yours, currently (almost) 5, 3, and 1 and it has been one heck of a year. And I don’t sit during the day. It’s so hard to do all the things I’m responsible for, and I just appreciate someone else acknowledging that!!

I agree with a poster above about if you’re an apple house, stick with an iPad. I first bought my boys a Nabi a number of years ago, then bought them each a Kindle Fire 2 years ago for Christmas (because they are cheaper than an iPad). I wish I had never bought any of them and had just invested in iPads. We are iphone users and have one iPad at home and it is so user-friendly. The Fire tablets run out of space, and freetime might be “free” for a year around Black Friday but it is a subscription. Apple all the way.

Do you mind saying how you found out about your little girl’s allergies? I too am a Celiac nursing mama, and my little 3 month old has some eczema patches. Nothing major but I am interested to know if anything dietary may be a factor since we use allergy friendly detergent and soap already.

My older daughter was allergic to eggs, dairy, and almonds as an infant which manifested as eczema and full body rashes. I breastfed her for 18 months, so I know how hard it is to add those restrictions to your own diet! We worked with an allergist, and just like he predicted, right around age two, the intestines become more selective, and she outgrew the allergies. Eggs and dairy weren’t an issue after she turned 2, and the almond allergy cleared by 3. Find a good allergist that specializes in pediatrics and s/he will guide you. Hang in there!

Our kids have Kindle Fire Kids. The Free Time mode lets you control the content by age, set time limits and even make them do educational games or read books before they can play anything else. Lots of educational games and books available. And I like that they can’t change the settings without the PIN number, which only my husband and I know.

Living with food allergies into adulthood all I can say is , “praise be” that you are focused in this early….what a difference that will make! We haven’t tried Butcher Box but I have to say that for our small household of two we’ve been happy with Porter Road for dependable meats.

I too have been loving “The Kids are Alright” and I ordered/received “Girl Wash Your Face” two weeks ago and haven’t started it yet… (which is totally against what the book says…) I have listened to some of the book via Rachel Hollis’s podcast and have loved what I’ve heard so far.

Thank you for being real! It is always so refreshing to hear that yes, although is incredible to be a mom of very young children, it’s also really hard. Love your blog post and hearing about your sweet family!!

I love the Kindle Fired kids version. As others mentioned, it comes with a great case and free replacement if damaged for the life of the product AND includes Freetime. Older kids may not enjoy it as much as an iPad, but for your age kiddos, it is a great product. The parental controls are also fantastic! I would guess that those commenting negatively may have an older version or failed to update. You can set all kinds of limits. Parent also have a separate login with the same access to Netflix, Hulu, etc that you can get on an ipad. The Fire is a great buy for kids!

My son has a very severe allergy to peanuts and we have found that almond butter specifically Barney Butter that is made in a peanut free facility is a great alternative. Crazy expensive but really good.

Since you mentioned cutting eggs out of your diet, and can’t have gluten, I have to recommend brightside kitchen if you’re looking for a place to grab lunch (and they just started brunch on saturdays!) it’s inside the Mercy health and fitness center in clive and SO good. It’s all plant based and they have lots of gluten free options. I work in the building and have to refrain from eating there more than once or twice a week because it’s so delicious. Just wanted to let you know in case you hadn’t heard of it yet.

Oh man, I feel like it’s gotta be controversial with the political jokes but my husband and I never fail to laugh our asses off with Last Man Standing! It’s so funny and we love Tim Allen. Also, umm… Hallmark Christmas movies 24/7!

My oldest had a cashew allergy, but he outgrew it by age 2. My 13 month old has a peanut and egg allergy and possibly allergic to tree nuts and something else (sesame?). Anyway, I am still nursing him and he had no obvious issue to me eating his allergens so I continue to do so. I just never eat peanuts around him, of course. I hope are kids outgrow them or that someday soon there will be a cure for all!

Thanks for notes on *real* motherhood! Totally agree on everything re: social media these days. We’re also considering a tablet for Christmas so also appreciate looking through all these comments. I see the Korean BBQ recipe calls for an Instant Pot. Do you have one/do you like it? I’d love to know. I bought on on Prime Day and have decided I really hate it – and feel like I’m very much in the minority! Finally, if you like The Kids are Alright, you should try The Goldbergs if you’ve never seen it. Similar concept but from the 80s. SO MUCH childhood nostalgia!

Maybe that was the show I was thinking of!! The Mom’s humor is very dry in the Goldbergs, right? And I do the crock pot version of the Korean Beef – I’m on a self-imposed 1 in 1 out appliance restriction at the moment! 😂

Samsung Galaxy!!! I can’t believe no one else has mentioned it. It’s a kids tablet where you can also enter a code and access the “adult” areas, such as google, etc. We got ours about 4.5 years ago and still use it every day. The Kids “side” comes with a ton of age appropriate games already downloaded onto it, such as alphabet games and map games – I could go on and on. I love the games on it. And I’m an Apple person too but I love the Samsung Galaxy.

Interesting about the egg and peanut. When my now 1 year old was a baby he had an egg allergy and his ped said keep feeding it to him… apparently this helps them outgrow it? Have you looked for a second opinion?

Thank you did the honest post! Life is great and challenging too. Some blogs are intimidatingly beautiful and I wonder why I don’t look that way! Perefection is the enemy. We love the Kindle Fire for our son. It is perfect! I highly recommend it. Downloading books from our library is a dream and a great way to encourage reading too!

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hi, i’m kristin!

I'm a Midwestern wife and Mama of two little boys and a baby girl. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013, Iowa Girl Eats is a place I share delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Visit my Recipe Index for inspiration!MORE ABOUT ME

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